rambles, rants, & raves about living in my world

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Monthly Archives: July 2014

Have you ever had someone say something to you and you don’t know if it was a compliment or an insult? I guess having hot pink hair makes people want to be honest with me, which is totally fine because I am comfortable with the crazy ‘do that I have now; but do people not have mouth-filters anymore? I’ve heard it all, from me looking like Cindy Lauper to “Well at least it’s temporary” to old women giving me a thumbs-up. Like I said, I was ready to hear the reviews and get the stares. Going beyond hair, social media has blown up the chance for people to judge others, like how they workout, what they eat, who they hang out with, and so on. Has our world turned into an eye that constantly moves up and down judging everything?

“When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself” – Wayne Dyer

There are some CrossFit and Paleo articles that surface every so often and make there way to top headline stories and it makes me excited to see 2 of my passions get some attention. Usually I’ll glance through the story and finish reading with it with a smile…that is until I see the “(6,743 comments)” right under the article. I used to read through these comments to see if other people were as excited I was to read it. I quickly learned to never read through those comments. Probably 3/4 of them were all hating and judging not only the main concepts of the article, but bashing the PEOPLE who are featured in the story! These people who comment don’t even know the faces of the article besides a few paragraphs and they are telling them how awful of people they are. What?!

Since I have been coaching and been on the ‘other side’ of the whiteboard, my views of people have changed. Since I have to be constantly assessing someone, I have learned to look at the full picture; watching people squat to a 24″ box and over time, doing a squat slightly above parallel is not ‘ideal’ form, but it is AMAZING progress that is something to be proud and excited about (as an athlete and coach). The picture someone sees at first sight isn’t always the full story. Sometimes the best way to learn is to keep your mouth shut, listen, and observe.

Time and time again, this shows up and it just makes me wonder… What’s the point of saying something that won’t make someone feel good about themselves? Does it really do any good to make someone question their own ability? Do you know their full story or are you just letting your ego run your mouth?

I remember a sign that was posted in my first grade classroom (first grade was an amazing time!) and it was a kiddie version of the Golden Rule (yay St. Agnes)… “Treat others as you would like to be treated”. Maybe next time you want to say something to someone, or make a thought about someone, think how it would feel if it was the other way around. I believe that the more people who can be like this, the better the world can be (or at least my small Springfield world).

How’s that for a world peace Fourth of July post? Hope you have a judge-free happy holiday! 🙂